Jurnal UMP Social Sciences and Technology Management
Vol. 3, Issue. 1,2015
Investigating the Role of Beast in the Lithographic Prints of
Qajar Period a Case Study of a Picture from the Book, One
Thousand and One Nights
Erfan Safari,
BA in Visual Arts,
[email protected]
Yasaman Majd Zangeneh
MA in Graphic Communications,
[email protected]
Abstract
Qajar period has particular importance due to the rise of extensive communication of Iran with other
countries. Lithographic books are the continuation of Iranian picture-writing tradition. They were
available to the public more than handwritten versions by utilizing new technology and they had a
great role in improvement of society's visual culture.In this article, we have first explained about
lithography formation and then its usage in different Persian scripts so that we can discuss the rare
image samples of "One Thousand and One Night" lithographic book from Qajar time. In the same
way, a sample is chosen and described by studying different samples of Demon's images in
lithographic books. The main point of this article is to discuss the Demon's role in lithographic Qajar
books by considering the rarity of examined image.
Key words: lithography, demon, One Thousand and One Night
Introduction
The art of lithography has always been the origin of visual effects due to the variety of different practical
contexts as well as its usage in various Iranian and non-Iranian orders and its implementation limits. Thus,
in order to recognize this art in Iran better, particularly the rare and unseen samples, all the factors and
available visual samples should be specified, defined, and studied. This paper studies one picture from One
Thousand and One Nights book belonging to Qajar period, taking into consideration the Iranian
civilization and its visual richness throughout history. Although Qajar period was accompanied by
important cultural events, it has less credibility among critiques and experts in comparison with other
political periods in Iran, due to the entrance and influence of visual patterns of Western art. Different
criteria of Qajar period are, therefore, still deemed as effective components of Iranian visual arts history,
specifically in the contemporary era.The present research first addresses the history of lithography in the
world and Iran and its advantages. Then it studies pictures in the lithography of Qajar period and taking
this recognition into account, the picture of a beast and its various external and behavioral signs are
investigated. Finally, the case of a picture from the story book, One Thousand and One Nights, is
considered.
The hypotheses and questions addressed in this research are as follows:
 Which characteristic of the lithographic prints are considered more by the designer?
 Which characteristic of the beast in the lithographic prints of Qajar period is visible in the analyzed picture?
 Taking into consideration the studied aspects, has the designer been able to use these elements properly in order to
achieve his goal?
This research used descriptive analytic method to attain its goal, and it was done through documentation.
Having reviewed the literature on investigating the role of beast in the lithographic prints of Qajar period in
the book, One Thousand and One Nights, no thorough analysis of the topic was found. Some relevant
articles, however, have considered the lithography of Qajar period.
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Lithography
1
2
Lithography is a Greek word, consisting of two words, lithos meaning stone and graphein meaning writing
(Weaver, 1964, 49). In 1796, it was invented by the German author and actor, Alois Senefelder, as a rather
cheap method of printing (Meggs, 1998, 146). Lithography can be regarded as suitable for use in printing
texts or artworks on the paper or other material (Pannel, 1915).In Persian language, the word "chap" is taken
from chav, which is in turn, taken from the Chinese origin CAU (Golpaygani, 1378 AHS). This printing
method was imported from Russia into Iran and Abbas Mirza, the governor of Azerbaijan, sent Mohammad
Saleh Khan, the son of Haj Mohammad Bagher Shirazi to Russia in order to learn this type of printing, and
Agha Ali, the son of Haj Mohammad Hossein Amin Al-shar' Tabrizi was assigned as the director of that
publishing house (Nafisi, 1377 AHS, 232). Lithography became known in about 1240 AH in the cities of Iran,
and although it was used simultaneously with lead printing method during two decades, lithography
prevailed over it (Marzolph, 2001, 13). The first book printed through lithography was a copy of Quran
which was published in Dar al-Saltaneh of Tabriz between 1249 and 1250 AH. Afterwards, Majlesi's Zad –alMa'ad was printed in 1251 AH. The first visual book was published in Iran in 1259 AH, titled Leyli and
Majnoun (Hosseini Rad, Khan Salar, 1384 AHS, 77).
Picture in the Lithography of Qajar Period
The primary lithographic prints in Iran did not have pictures. The Translation of the book, One Thousand
and One Nights was among the first to be considered in the area of lithography. The print of this book in
1289 AH included only the text, and the first visual print was published in 1272 AH and it went on
(Marzolph, 2001, 18-21).
One Thousand and One Nights
One Thousand and One Nights or One Thousand Tales is a collection of Western and Southern Asian stories
whose translation into English was done in 1706 during the Islamic Golden Age known as Arabic Nights
(Yamanaka, 2006, p. 225). The stories of One Thousand and One Nights and fairy tales with an Iranian
history are among the famous stories of the world. They are entitled as the mystery of existence and unique
form of art in view of psychologists such as Betlhaim (Betlhaim, 2012, p. 36). In his book Man and his
Symbols, Carl Yung states that although we might have different cultural and religious backgrounds, we all
share a common consciousness. He believed that human beings use identical or similar symbols which are
the representative of both low and high aspects of psychological life (Yung, 2004, p. 21). One Thousand and
One Nights has been written in the form of story in story and is thus considered one of the most complex
literary texts. Seven illustrated versions of this book have been published from 1855 to 1902. The
illustrations of this book has been done by various illustrators with various methods since Qajar Era
(Hosseini Rad & Khan Salar, 2005, p. 82). This book is a collection of stories narrated to a king in the name
of Shahriar by a girl called Shahrzad. According to the studies done by orientalists, One Thousand and One
Nights has originally been a collection of Iranian tales. The first translation of One Thousand and One
th
Nights into European languages was done by Anthoan Galan in 16 century into French and published in
1704. In addition, Sir Richard Berton presented the first translation of this book into English in 1885
(Berenz, 1972, p. 2-11). This book was translated into Farsi In 1843 during Qajar Era by Abdol Latif Tasooji in
lithography. The verse translation of this book was done by Abol Fath Khan Dehghan and was called
th
Nightingale in the early 20 century.Regarding that personalities are either good or bad in the folk stories,
people of each class have been divided into two groups, i.e. good or bad and then investigated in this study.
omen are the most important personality class of this book and are sometimes wiser than men in major and
minor roles. Jinns are another personality class of this book who act in benefit or loss of the protagonist of
stories. Historical personalities such as some caliphs are also present in the book who are sometimes in
accordance with historical realities and sometimes introduced in another way for demagoguery (Ilias,
Saroom, 2011). The majority of major protagonists and personalities are from upper classes of society such as
kings, princes, merchants, etc.
1
. λίθος
. γράφειν
2
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Demon
Demon is called Dauo in Avesta, Dev in Pahlavi and Div in Farsi. In the traditional language of India, Dev or
Dauo means light and the name of God (Yahaghi, 2007, p. 371). Demon is considered an imaginary creature
with very strange body among the public. This creature is usually considered an independent creature from
the jinns that is tall and has a daunting sound, bold and fiery eyes, and disheveled and long hair. In Moein
Dictionary, Demon is described as an imaginary creature in the form of a tall, strong and terrible man with
two horns like those of bulls and a tail. Demons are considered from the generation of the Devil (Moein,
2005, p. 1132). The public consider demon as Al and other imaginary and superstitious creatures. Whilke
demon is historically old (Khoshdel, 2003, p. 371). Demons are considered as sources of destruction and evil
creatures in the folk tales like myths. Cannibalism is an example of frequent practices of demons in stories
that cause horror. They have a sharp smell of human beings, it is worth saying that this is a complete folksy
idea and is not found in the myths. Demons are usually fooled by the protagonists in the stories. Namaki
Tale is such a story by Sobhi Mohtadi (Mozafarian, 2012, p. 213-247).Demons are divided into six categories
according to studies. Akamanah meaning bad thought and the enemy of Amesha Spenta Bahman;
Indra/Andar the opposite if order and the enemy of Ordibehesht, Saurva the enemy of Amesha Spenta
Shahrivar, Nanghithya the enemy of Sepandarmaz, Tiriz Tairia the enemy of Khordad, and Ziriz Zairi the
enemy of Amesha Spenta Amordad are the six categories of demons. Adding Ahriman and Ayshmeh
(demon of anger) to these categories, making them seven. The number seven is also seen in Mesopotamia.
On the other hand, Sardivan adds Sorosh to the six Amesha Spentas to complete the seven Izadi hierarchy
(Henilez, 2000, p. 71). From among the six Sardivs, the name of Akoman, Anger and Tairia Dargaha have
been mentioned, but none of them has any determined position and are the symbol of bad deeds not the
rival. These Divs are placed against Izadan in the next eras.
Figures of Demon in Qajar Lithography
Demon is a figure in the Iranian tales and Iranian painting (miniature). At times, it fights ordinary people in
the face of all its awe. In all its battles with sacred figures, army commanders, princes and emirs, the demon
is eventually destroyed either by symbol of good, or by courageous or sacred or delicate characters
(Rahnavard, 2007, 89). Demons are prominent, dynamic figures of folk tales, and symbolically manifest
every evil phenomenon. They are as well personification of dishonesty, poverty, famine, drought and
oppression. In the Iranian mythology, demons are noxious, anti-god creatures. In lithography works from
Qajar reign, contents of many books are of fictional nature, and thus contain various depictions of demons.
Demons’ appearance
They are usually horned and tailed. In one story, a demon raises Sasan’s son, and Alexander’s emissary
makes efforts to help him realize that he is not in fact a demon:
“It is a demon and has horns, and you are man. Were he your father, you would be horned and tailed as well”
(Moaffariyan, 2012, 28).
Yet another appearance feature of demons is their pitch black color:
“Sa’adān … came close to a tree and a fountain. He saw one demon which was black as tar” (idem, 156).
On occasions of course one might come across white demons, which brings to mind the one in Shāhnāmeh.
The demon in the story of the Seven Maidens from the Encyclopedia of Iranian Legends and Fairy Tales is
white (Darvishian, 2003, V. 16, 191).
3
In the story of the Bull-legged Demon and the Cleric in Marzbān-Nāmeh , the bull-legged demon decides to
ask such questions as to defeat the cleric in a debate, but ultimately it is defeated and is driven down to the
darkest depths of the earth together which all his company (Bakhtiyari et al, 2011).
In the story of Hormoz from the same encyclopedia, one reads about the seven-headed demon (Darvishian,
2003, 72).In the Shāhnāmeh, too, Akvān the Demon is one obnoxious, boisterous creature with a gleaming,
gilded appearance (Sha’abanlu, 2012, 122).
Demons’ inner characters
According to Zand-I Wahman Yasn, demons do not do what they promise to do, and do what they claim
they won’t. They don’t keep promises (Zand, 1992, 55). To their supposition, they have managed to do harm
to people once they make their spirits into wrong-doing, sinful ones, but not when the inflict diminution or
3
It is one undisputable masterpiece in euphemistic prose in Farsi and Mazandarani languages.
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loss to their bodies or properties (Pahlavi Tales, 1988, 59). As expressed in the Pahlavi Tales, demons reside
in the inferno, and according to Arda Viraf, they are responsible for tormenting of wrongdoers there (Arda
Viraf, 1993, 50). Demons are assumed to have the same role in the Chinese mythology as well (Christie,
1994, 176).
Examining a sample depiction of Qajar lithography highlighting the element of demons
The painting portrays a story named “the Story of the Four-hundred and Seventy-fourth Night in the Month
of Tir [June] and the Prince’s Battle with the Giants”. The author elaborates on the prince’s arrival at the
mountain, when he sees several giants and feels panicked. Then he orders the monkey to fight them.
Details of the battle are dexcribed in the story.
Image 1, Battle of the Prince and Giants
The painting belongs to one of the lithographic versions of the One Thousand Nights and One from the
Qajar era.In the heart of the image, where there is a motif somehow similar to a flower, there is name in the
shrubs, read as Omar Ali Khan, which is thought to be the name of the artist. As for composition, the
painting is divided into two parts: in the upper part, one can see the battle between the prince and giants,
and in the lower, the battle between the monkey and giants. In the upper half, the prince seen on a horseback, ready and armed with a sword and shield in the front line of his army, while he has hit one of the
giants with his sword. He is approaching towards the demons’ army, and his men, gathered in the upper
right corner of the picture, are, too. They are using their arches to shoot the demons, while some others are
retreating. It is a war strategy for deceiving the enemy. In the upper left side, the mass of demons is visible,
while they are approaching the prince’s men with their weapons ready. The demons are depicted in human
figures, with spotted, naked bodies, wearing a plain skirt. Horsemen with mutilated bodies are seen at their
feet, and they are painted stepping over them. In the lower half, monkeys’ army is portrayed in man-like
figures, with hairy bodies. They are carrying their maces and heading towards the demons. More than half
of the monkeys are shown to be moving in the opposite direction, giving the image of escaping from the
battlefield to the right margins of the image. One monkey in the front line has taken its mace down, and is
shown talking to the demons with an air of surrender. The demons’ army is depicted as facing the monkeys,
shown in human figures with spotted skin and wearing plain skirts, just like the ones in the upper half.
They are sticking their weapons up, and moving towards the monkeys. In the frontline, there is one demon
with its arms wide-open, as if challenging the monkeys into a battle. A number of monkeys are drawn
before the demons, as if they are surrendering. One of the monkeys is hit in the back by a demon’s sword.
There is a clear area in the middle of the painting, where the artist has drawn lines which are believed to be
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representation of a grassland with shrubs. There is greater violence in the part showing the battle between
the prince and demons than that of monkeys and demons.
The painting is exquisite in the detailed depiction of the facial expressions and features of people and
creatures.
Conclusion
Works of lithography are among significant visual capacity of Iran in the rule of Qajars. They had a
considerable circulation, and thus won the public’s favor and attention. This was unprecedented before the
reign of Qajars and before the period in question. The populist nature of subjects depicted could win an
ever greater span of audience among the Iranian public. Illustrations of lithographic books could attract the
Iranians’ visual interest. The book the One Thousand Nights and One enjoyed considerable success due to
the attractions of stories as well as the charm laying the word games employed to create images. The
success and popularity of the book owes to the many illustrations of the stories. What was evident and
found about the demons in such illustrations included important information about the imaging details
such as the skin and horns of the demons. On the whole, what brings about a well-organized connection
between the beholder and the text is the artist’s mental order in the type of illustration he has decided, as
well as his use of direct inspirations from the stories.
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